Capsule for controllably metering products held in bottles or the like

ABSTRACT

A capsule for controllably metering products held in bottles comprising a ball element for controllably delivering the product on a delivery surface, the ball element housed inside a holding body provided with a cover which can be opened for exposing the top portion of the ball element, as well as with a threaded portion engaging with a corresponding threaded portion provided on the neck of the bottle.

The present application is the national stage filing of and claimspriority to International Application No. PCT/IT98/00201, filed Jul. 17,1998 and Italian Application Serial No. MI97U000902.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a capsule for controllably meteringproducts held in bottles or the like.

In the cosmetic field, as well as in other fields in which products mustbe delivered in metered amounts on a delivery surface, metering capsulesincluding in their inside delivery ball elements are already known.

These metering capsule conventionally comprise a rod element, arrangedin the bottle neck, and a ball element in turn engaged in a mating seathaving a substantially circular rim, and provided on said rod element.

This rod-ball element assembly is protected by a capsule or cap threadedon the threaded neck of the bottle.

In particular, the ball element partially projects from the bottle neckand is free of rotating in its engagement seat, as said ball elementcontacts the product application or delivery surface, thereby graduallydelivering said product.

While the above mentioned prior metering capsule allows to controllablydeliver or meter the product, it, on the other hand, has a rathercomplex construction, since for making it three different componentelements are required.

In this connection it should be pointed out that constructionalcomplexity of prior metering capsules negatively affects the operationsrequired for preparing or packaging the bottle, which operations wouldcomprise the filling-in of the bottle with the product, the insertion ofthe rod element and ball element assembly inside the bottle neck, andthe final threading of the capsule or cap on the bottle.

A further problem of prior metering capsules is that, in order to applysaid capsules to small size bottles, it is necessary to form specialthreads, which are different from the corresponding like-sizestandardized threads, since the inner diameter of the neck of smallbottles is not sufficient to receive therein a ball element—rod elementassembly.

From the above it should be apparent that it would be actually desirableto provide a metering capsule for controllably metering products held inbottles or the like, allowing to overcome the above mentioned problems.The document GB-A-2 195 246 discloses a capsule substantially accordingto the preamble of claim 1.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to provide such acapsule or cap, including a metering ball element for controllablymetering a product, which capsule includes a minimum number of componentpieces and can be threaded to bottles or containers having a neckprovided with a standard thread thereby allowing to greatly reduce themaking and packaging cost of the bottle the capsule is applied to.

Said aim is achieved by the present invention which specifically relatesto a capsule for controllably metering products held in bottles or thelike, comprising a ball element designed for controllably distributing aproduct on an application surface therefor, and having thecharacterizing features of the characterizing portion of claim 1.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the bottleneck engagement means comprise a threaded portion engaging with acorresponding threaded portion provided on said neck of said bottle thethreaded portions of the engagement means and of the bottle neck havingstandardized threads.

The capsule or cap for controllably metering products held in bottlesaccording to the present invention provides, with respect to the priorart, the following advantages.

Firstly, the capsule or cap according to the present invention is somade to form an integral body, including in its inside said meteringball element, and which can be applied to the bottle without using anyrod elements, thereby allowing to reduce the number of component piecesrequired for making the metering bottle.

Secondly, by using the capsule according to the present invention, thepackaging operation for providing a finished product are greatlysimplified since, for providing said finished product, it would bemerely sufficient to fill-in the bottle with the product and then threadthe capsule on the neck of the bottle.

Finally, the specifically designed configuration of the metering capsuleaccording to the present invention will allow to use bottles havingstandard threads, thereby greatly reducing the making cost thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further advantages and characteristics of the present invention willbecome more apparent from the following disclosure, given by way of anillustrative but not limitative example, with reference to theaccompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectioned view of a metering capsule according to thepresent invention, as applied to the neck of a bottle, in a closedcondition thereof;

FIG. 2 is a further cross-sectioned view of the metering capsule or capof FIG. 1, applied to the neck of the bottle, in an open conditionthereof;

FIG. 3 is a further cross-sectioned view of a metering capsule accordingto a further embodiment of the present invention, as applied to the neckof a bottle, in a closed condition thereof; and

FIG. 4 is yet another cross-sectioned view of the metering capsule ofFIG. 3, as applied to the neck of the bottle, in an opened conditionthereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following disclosure, reference will be made to some preferredembodiments of the present invention, given by way of a not limitativeexample of several possible variations of the invention.

A first exemplary embodiment of the capsule for controllably meteringproducts held in bottles or the like, according to the presentinvention, generally indicated by the reference number 1, comprises aball element 2 designed for controllably metering or delivering theproducts on an application or delivery surface thereof.

As shown, said ball element 2 is housed inside a holding body 6, whichis provided with a cover 5, having a substantially semisphericalconfiguration and which can be opened to expose the top portion of theball element 2.

Preferably, the cover 5 can be opened by causing it to turn with respectto a hinge 30, and it, in a closure condition thereof, will engage, in afixed-joint relationship, by a portion 9 thereof, with the top holdingring 7.

As shown, the mentioned holding body 6 comprises said top holding ring 7as well as a bottom holding ring 60, the latter being adapted to supportor bear thereon said ball element 2.

The bottom holding ring 60, in particular, is arranged on the top of theedge or rim 40 of the neck 3 of the bottle.

Thus, the ball element 2 will be also housed on the top of the rim oredge 40 of the bottle neck 3.

The holding body 6 is so arranged or constructed to define a space 8 forallowing the product being delivered to pass therethrough, in acontrolled manner, by rotatively driving the ball element 2.

Moreover, said holding body 6 is provided with a threaded portion 4engaging with a corresponding threaded portion provided on the bottleneck 3.

A second exemplary embodiment of the capsule or cap according to thepresent invention is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and is herein generallyindicated by the reference number 20.

In this embodiment, the ball element 2 is housed on the top of the rim40 of the bottle neck 3, inside a holding body 26, provided with a topholding ring 27 as well as with a bottom holding ring 60.

The holding body 26 is so arranged as to define therein a space 28 forallowing the product to be metered to pass therethrough, in a controlledmanner, by rotatively driving the ball element 2.

The cover 25, which can be brought to an open condition by causing it toturn about the hinge 30, has a substantially spherical cap configurationand comprises engagement portions 29 for engaging the top holding ring27 of the ball element 2.

The capsule according to the present invention operates as follows:

More specifically, the capsule or cap is threaded or screwed on thebottle neck 3 by using the threaded portion 4, after having filled-inthe bottle with the product.

Thus, said capsule will form an integral body, including in its insidethe ball element 2 for controllably delivering or metering the product;said integral or single body can be associated to the bottle in a verysimple manner.

In order to use the product, it will be sufficient to open the cover ofthe capsule by causing it to turn about the hinge 30, thereby exposingthe top surface of the ball element 2.

Thus, the product will be metered, according to a per se known method,by causing the ball element 2 to slide on the product applicationsurface.

What is claimed is:
 1. A capsule for controllably metering products heldin a bottle having a bottle neck, said bottle neck having a bottle necktop provided with a top rim, comprising a ball element for controllablydistributing a product on an application surface therefor, said ballelement being housed inside a holding body comprising at least a topholding ring and at least a bottom holding ring therebetween andthereagainst said ball element is rotatably supported, said holding bodybeing provided with a top hinged cover which can be opened to expose atop portion of said ball element and with engagement means for engagingsaid bottle neck, wherein said engagement means comprises a standardizedthread on an inner surface of said holding body engageable with a matingstandardized thread formed on an outer surface of said bottle neckwherein said holding body, as engaged with said bottle neck is arrangedso that said ball element is held adjacent to said top rim of saidbottle neck top, wherein said bottom holding ring is arranged on saidbottle neck, and wherein said cover in a closure condition thereof isfixedly engaged by a portion thereof with said top holding ring.
 2. Acapsule, according to claim 1, wherein said cover comprises engagementportions for engaging said top holding ring against which said topportion of said ball element rotatably abuts.